Monday, July 16, 2012

Note: I chose only a small selection of the many excellent photos Mr. Stürzenberger posted. Please visit the original article to see them all, including the larger versions.

The Islam Critics’ Conference in Brusselsby Michael Stürzenberger

It was an historic day. It could be felt clearly in this auditorium of the parliament building. Notable Islam critics from all over the world had come together at the International Civil Liberties Alliance conference and were consulting on how an accelerating Islamism could most effectively be confronted. First-rate, stirring speeches from Mark Steyn, Tommy Robinson, Professor Hans Jansen, Alexandre del Valle, Magdi Allam and many others made it clear that the time of active resistance had begun. With the Brussels Declaration, a sign was given that sharia may have not one more millimeter of space in the Western World. Lars Hedegaard received an award for his tireless efforts on behalf of freedom of expression and the press.

Conference participants were already meeting the evening before in a dinner together for an intensive exchange of opinions.

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The Church of St. Catherine offered an impressive backdrop for that.

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The following day, everyone entered the spacious EU building complex, whose interior is equipped with security checkpoints and scanners like an airport.

The EU representative Philip Claeys, from the Belgian party Vlaams Belang, greeted the participants and wished them a successful meeting.

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Besides Philip Claeys, Vlaams Belang head, Filip Dewinter also briefly attended. His book, “Inch’Allah? The Islamization of Europe” was distributed gratis. I recalled then the Israel trip with the “European Freedom Alliance” in December 2010, when Dewinter gave a knowledgeable speech on the dangers of Islam in the Knesset’s chamber of representatives. In the picture, Dewinter is to the left, next to Knesset representative Rabbi Nissim Zeev.

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Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff moderated the Brussels Conference, as usual masterfully, easily and charmingly. Her many years of experience on the international scene were evident. As a representative of Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa, she had often tenaciously been able to raise the subject of Islam criticism in the teeth of resistance by Muslim representatives.

Alain Wagner, chair of the “Stop Sharia Campaign” from France, described the initial situation: Sharia infiltrated societies, in which process free speech and freedom of expression were supposed to be suppressed so that Islam would not have to be exposed to any criticism and could expand unhindered.

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Professor Hans Jansen, who has taught Arabic studies as well as Islamic scholarship at various universities in the Netherlands and Denmark, described the substance of sharia in his lively speech. He also revealed the significance of the abrogation of harmless Koran verses from the early period of Islam. He expressed basic doubt about the existence of Mohammed. The concept of religious freedom should be defined anew in view of Islam. Freedom is not free — we must defend it determinedly. Jansen. by the way, also supported Geert Wilders in his trial and testified as a witness for the defense. The video of his intelligent and humorous appearance can be seen at the Gates of Vienna.

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Bishop Pierre Samuel of the Syrian Catholic Church in France described the intolerance of Islam and the legitimized practice of lying — taqiyya. Samuel also went into the history of Jews in the Islamic world. At the conclusion of his talk, he expressed his hopes for the progress of the “Brussels Process.”

Author Nidra Poller reported from France that the harbingers of an apocalyptic war were in evidence, but it was a hidden procedure and nothing dramatic was appearing in public. After the Merah assassination, however, much in France had changed. For instance, perpetrators were now sometimes named.

The French essayist Alexandre de Valle emphasized in his powerful address that it was better to die in battle than as a coward. The OIC, he said, is one of the most important organizations in the world, and the only one based on a religion. At this time, a re-Islamization is taking place in the Arab world, which is the common goal of “democratically” oriented Muslims as well as the jihadists. The desire is to conquer the West and Europe is the primary target for Islamization. US President Obama and Hillary Clinton would find it acceptable that, in the course of the “Istanbul Process,” the “denigration” of Islam should be prevented.

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De Valle believed that Islam critics are capable of writing history. The true fascists of our time are the Islamo-Fascists. At the end of his speech, there was a standing ovation.

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Author and Islam apostate Sabatina James told of her youth, when she still had the desire to join Mohammed and Aisha in Paradise. In her school in Lahore, Pakistan, it was not allowed to read anything other than Islamic books. One teacher said that one day the whole world would be Islamic. In Austria, after leaving Islam, and because of her “enlightened” books, the leftist media called her a “James Bond Christian.” Prior to that, forced marriages had never been discussed in Austria. In 2010, as a guest of the European Parliament, she had vigorously asked to speak about sharia — the basis for forced marriages, abuse and honor killings. The answer was that Islam could not be held responsible for that. It was simply “abused” and after all, there were abuses by Christian priests.

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Tommy Robinson, who in the meantime has gone into politics as the vice chair of the British Freedom Party and now appears under his real name, Stephen Lennon, told of the dire consequences of Islamization in his own area. The next generation will not forgive us, he said, if we do nothing. In 20-30 years, millions will rise up. It is our duty to begin it now. We are the forerunners for others.

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Stephen Lennon, too, received lengthy applause after his inspiring speech.

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Another high point was the appearance of the Canadian journalist and author Mark Steyn. He had recently received an e-mail which warned him against being seen in a room with us. Laughing, Mark said that this “warner” was at a conference with “moderate” Muslims who demanded the killing of homosexuals, and was not much bothered by that. Steyn felt he was in better company with us.

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Among other things, Mark Steyn reported on rapidly accelerating Islamization in Sweden. Malmö-Rosengård is an example of a gloomy look into the future. Altogether, Europe is on a dangerous path of Islamization. for which chiefly establishment politicians are to blame. And he made appropriately ironic remarks on the European flag.

Mark Steyn presented the “Defender of Freedom Award 2012” to the Danish historian, journalist and author Lars Hedegaard, for his years-long efforts on behalf of freedom of expression and the press. Steyn underlined the importance of courageous people like Hedegaard for Europe. Mainstream politics in Europe. after all, was attempting to suppress criticism of Islam as “insulting” to Muslims.

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In his speech Lars Hedegaard, who is also chair of the International Free Press Society (IFPS), condemned cultural relativism as basically false. For instance, if you have a child in a school in Denmark where most of the students are “New Danish,” you would have to remove the child out of pure self defense. Hedegaard asked the basic question: Why does there have to be immigration from Muslim countries?

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The Swedish journalist, author and chair of the “Swedish Free Press Society,” Ingrid Carlqvist, described conditions in Sweden, which are becoming worse and worse, especially for women. The number of rapes, for instance, has increased enormously.

Gavin Boby is one of the legendary “Mosque Busters” — a coalition of British lawyers who have taken on the prevention of mosque building. They have won all of their 13 trials thus far.

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In their complaints, they have concentrated most of all on points like “parking lot jihad” and noise.

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His colleague George Igler remarked aptly that any society that puts people in jail for what they say is bad.

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Conny Axel Meier, executive director of Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa, had created a fourteen-page brochure on the restriction of freedom of speech in Germany. Contained in it are the attempts by politicians under the cover of the so-called “Battle against the Right,” to defame and reduce Islam criticism. He mentions, for example the attempts by SPD politician Sebastian Edathy to have Politically Incorrect put under observation by the intelligence services as a “threat to social peace” in Germany. An important point in the brochure is the creeping acceptance of sharia. In this effort, Rhineland-Palatinate minister of justice Jochen Hartloff (SPD), federal minister of justice, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP) and Islam scholar, Prof/ Mathias Rohe featured ingloriously.

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Meier also described the case of Michael Mannheimer, who, in a proclamation had invoked the right of the people to resist, as in article 20, paragraph 4 of the German constitution, and for that was convicted of “incitement” by Heilbronn district court. Mannheimer, who was also present at the conference, has appealed this verdict.

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Also in the brochure, which can be read on the ICLA internet site, is the attempt by the lawyer and former FDP Bundestag representative Hildebrecht Braun to prohibit the unpleasant report by Stuttgarter Nachrichten of the intelligence service’s observations of Imam Idriz. In her address, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff called the attempts to prohibit Islam criticism the methods of a totalitarian state, She described the absurd procedures surrounding her conviction of “denigration” of a religion.

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Alain Wagner, chair of the “Stop Sharia Campaign” in France called for as many citizens as possible to become members of the “Brussels Process.” The resolutions must now be filled with life. At the end, he cried: “We are the good guys!”

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After the reading of “The Brussels Declaration,” there was sustained applause by the over one hundred people in attendance.

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In the discussion period, Prof. Jansen, Lars Hedegaard, Stephen Lennon and Alain Wagner answered questions about how the Brussels Declaration could in reality be implemented. An important factor is networking with parties, organizations and groups to make the demands public and bit by bit to implement them.

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The impression of PI reporters is that this conference in this place was an eminently significant sign for the future.

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Great thanks are due to all those who took part in the preparation, organization and conduct of this significant event. They have performed an enormous service for a common cause.

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The hope remains that Islam criticism may in the future become a subject in the European Parliament and not still be subject to politically correct excommunication.

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In the immediate neighborhood of the Parliament building, signs of Islamization are quite visible.

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The Islam critics from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are optimistic that Islam criticism has been given a positive impetus by this conference.